Posts Tagged ‘bargain wine’

If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the world famous Provence region in southeastern France. You may even find a bargain wine in this sun-drenched ideal tourist location, marred only by the number of tourists. I hope that youll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour of this French candidate for paradise in which we review a local red wine based on the red Mourvdre grape.

Among Frances eleven wine-growing regions Provence ranks ninth in acreage if you include the island of Corsica, which most people do in spite of their considerable differences. Provence is synonymous with ros wine, and although its percentage is declining, happily according to many wine lovers. Over 50% of Provence wine is ros, or as some might say, pink. Many of its wines are pink and flabby, but others are not. The region is home to dozens of grape varieties, often not found elsewhere. With an average of three thousand hours of sun a year, a lot of Provence wines taste baked.

One secret to making fine tasting wine is limiting its production. The Bandol AOC reviewed below and its high-quality neighbors are capped by law at 180 cases per acre (40 hectoliters per hectare). In this area growers could generate at least twice as much output, almost without trying. But any gains in quantity would be lost in quality. Voil. Limiting Corsicas wine output has helped reduce Europes famous, or rather infamous, wine lake.

While there is no shortage of great places to visit in Provence, lets start by honoring this wines home town, Bandol, population eight thousand. Its right on the coast, about thirty five miles (fifty five kilometers) southeast of Marseille and has become quite a tourist attraction. Bandols port has a capacity of fifteen hundred sailing vessels and that includes a lot of yachts. It is quite a center for scuba diving and deep-sea fishing. In high season unless you love crowds you are better off visiting the vineyards right outside town.

For a change of pace go about four miles (six kilometers) north of Bandol to La Cadiere dAzur, a medieval village of about three thousand perched on a hilltop overlooking the vineyards. Vincent Van Gogh was here. When you see it youll know why.

Before reviewing the Bandol wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.

Start with Caviar dAubergines (Egglant Pure).

For your second course savor Poisson aux Herbes de Provence (Fish with Provence Herbs).
And as dessert indulge yourself with Tarte aux Noix (Walnut and Honey Tart).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed

Domaine Le Galantin Bandol Rouge 2005 14.0% about $20.00

Lets start by quoting the marketing materials. Description Bandol, the most serious wine of Provence, [is] typically a deep-flavoured, lush red blend dominated by the Mourvdre grape. Tasting Note (Jancis Robinson, Oxford Companion to Wine, 3rd Edition, 2006) This version is mostly Mourvdre with a touch of Grenache for balance. Its lovely collection of aromas include cherry, anise, marzipan, and garrigue. And now for my review.

Before the first meal I sipped some of this wine. It was dark, fruity, powerful, and long. You know that the wine is present. The first meal was delicatessen-made thin strips of beef with sliced vegetables. I added rice and a Thai hot sauce. The wine remained long and strong with dark chocolate. I have the feeling that it could hold up to anything. I am getting an image: people sitting around a campfire devouring raw or scarcely cooked bear meat I have no idea what bear meat tastes like but I know this Bandol could handle it. This is not a wine for watercress sandwiches with or without the crusts. I liked the wine with a cocoa strudel. The chocolate of the wine accompanied the chocolate of the cake. There was, however, a discordant note, Ill talk about it in the next round.

The second tasting was with broiled beef ribs accompanied by jerk sauce, barbecued red skin potatoes, and commercial grilled eggplant. The wine was thick and mouthfilling, but there was something about its acidity that was not quite right, lets not mince words; it was unpleasant. This also happened with the first meal. It may be hard to believe but swirling the glass vigorously removed this secondary defect. In the present series of reviews covering more than sixty wines this is the first time that I have encountered such a problem.

The final meal consisted of a pan-fried lamb chop that had been marinated in olive oil, garlic, and sliced red onion plus an artichoke, garlic, and tomato salsa and corn on the cob. The wine was full and long brimming with chocolate and to a lesser extent tobacco. The defect is long gone and the wine was excellent. As strong as it was the Bandol accompanied rather than overpowered the subtle meat. Jancis Robinson was right, who am I to doubt her, I tasted garrigue, Mediterranean spices.

The first cheese pairing was with a mild-tasting Italian Pecorino Fruilano, which somehow cut across the wine. It surprised me that such a weak cheese could denature such a strong wine. The Bandol was able to keep its taste when paired with the more flavorful Dutch Edam. I tasted deep chocolate.

Final verdict. This wine is a winner. I confess that I dont understand fully the problem with the defect. But I am more than willing to take the chance on it again. However, just between you and me, I wont waste it on cheese pairings.

Author: Levi Reiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the world famous Provence region in southeastern France. You may even find a bargain wine in this sun-drenched ideal tourist location, marred only by the excessive number of tourists. I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour of this French candidate for paradise in which we review a local ros wine.

Provence ranks ninth in acreage among France’s eleven wine-growing regions. Over half of Provence wine is ros wine, some excellent and some that leave much to be desired. One of the problems, believe it or not, is excessive sun, which can almost literally bake the grapes much as it bakes your skin. The wine reviewed below is a Ctes de Provence made out of eight grape varieties ranging from the local Rolle (it has other names in Corsica and Italy) to the international Cabernet Sauvignon.

If you have unlimited funds you may choose to visit St. Tropez, a Mediterranean port made famous by Brigitte Bardot much more than by the French writer Guy de Maupassant or painters including Matisse. I won’t list today’s glitterati often spotted in the area. For a change of pace visit the Muse de l’Annonciade (Annunciation Museum), a Fourteenth Century chapel. Stroll through the old town and stop by the Sixteenth Century Citadelle (Citadel) overlooking the city and the sea. You may even want to play ptanque, a local form of bowling. Did I suggest that you bring plenty of money?

Before reviewing the Ctes de Provence wine and local cheeses, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Tapenade (Chopped Olives, Capers, Anchovies, and Olive Oil). For your second course savor Gardienne de Taureau (Bull Stew in Red Wine). And as dessert indulge yourself with Clafoutis d’abricot (Apricot Custard).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Ptale de Rose, Regine Sumeire, Ctes de Provence 2007 13.5% about $15

Let’s start by my sight translation of the marketing materials. Its color reminds one of a low-intensity onion peel. Its aroma is delicate with subtle whiffs of small red fruits and vanilla. Enjoy this dry ros’s good acidity and fairly long finish. Suggested food pairings include stuffed mushrooms, braised ham, lobster stew, grilled salmon, grilled trout, and veal saut.

Before the first meal I sipped some of this wine. It was light, refreshing, and somewhat long. It was summer in a glass. The meal consisted of chicken meatballs slow cooked with soft wheat kernels. The wine tasted of grapefruit. It was feathery with nice acidity and did a great job of cutting the meat’s grease. In the presence of roasted eggplant with lots of garlic (as in Provence) the wine became rounder.

The second tasting involved a barbecued chicken breast, potatoes roasted in chicken fat, and green beans in a tomato sauce. The ros tasted of light cherries. It was softly acidic and nicely long. The word feathery popped up again. I had the feeling that there were some dark red grapes hiding in this wine. I was a little disappointed when the wine was flattened by fruit juice candy.

The final meal consisted of a red pepper and a Portobello mushroom omelet. The ros was sweet, light, refreshingly acidic, and not very fruity. When paired with a high-quality French lemon pie with a buttery crust the wine lost its sweetness. There was a note of citrus in the background but it was clearly overpowered.

The first cheese pairing was with a local Provolone. At first the cheese seemed to flatten the wine. Later it was nicely acidic, round, and light. With a marbled Cheddar the wine was definitely muted. But it did return to normal when I finished the cheese.

Final verdict. I would definitely buy this wine again. I have been reviewing a lot of $10 wines and this one is clearly in a different league. But as so often, it’s important not to waste it on inappropriate food pairings.

Author: Levi Reiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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